Syed Ahmed KhanÆs The Cause of the Indian Revolt provides an account of the Muslim Revolt in 1857 in India. The authorÆs main purpose is to provide causes for the Revolt in order to undermine the theory that the revolt was only the outcome of a Muslim conspiracy. The intended audience for the book are those unfamiliar with the real causes of the Revolt, particularly British government officials and authorities whose rule of India was such that Khan (2001) maintains that revolt was ôinevitable.ö In KhanÆs view, the revolt was the outcome of the failure of the British to allow participation by Indians in the Legislative Council, which barred them from having any impact on policies imposed by the government.
Khan (2001) argues that by failing to give the ôuneducated natives of Hindustanàa share in the deliberations of the Legislative Council,ö British authorities set the stage for revolt. Various reasons are provided by the author for the eventual Revolt of 1857, including mismanagement of the army, ineffective Government that ignored the problems most affecting Hindus, and the enactment of legislation that greatly conflicted with the traditional customs and practices of Hindustan. I agree with KhanÆs assessment of the causes of the Revolt of 1857 and his contention that the revolt was not merely a result of Muslim conspiracy. Such a contention is borne out by the fact that the Hindus, under GandhiÆs leadership, would also find revolt ôinevitable,ö because of the unfair and exploitative policies of British government and leaders.
While I believe Khan provides a succinct and thorough analysis of the causes of the Revolt of 1857, the book could have been a bit more informative and provided greater understanding if the author would have provided an assessment or history of the flaws of British rule in the decades leading up to the revolt. The book primarily focuses on the causes of revolt fr
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